文/肖福寿
在汉语言中，狗被称为“犬”。中华民族的犬文化源远流长，已有八千多年的历史。《说文稽古篇》记载“游牧时代，惟犬独多，穴居则畜犬守御，狩猎则携犬自随，因而人必备犬”，可见犬早已就与人类朝夕为伍；《本草纲目》云“称狗有乌龙白龙之号”，可见犬与“四灵”有相同的灵性，已被尊奉为图腾；《礼记·曲礼》载“凡祭宗庙之礼：牛曰一元大武，豕曰刚鬣，豚曰腯肥，羊曰柔毛，鸡曰翰音，犬曰羹献……”，可见犬已作祭祀之用，为人们降福降祉；《汲冢周书》曰“商汤时，四方献，以珠玑玳瑁短狗献”，可见犬已用作宠物馈赠，甚至作为贡品进贡；《史记·苏秦列传》言“临淄甚富而实，其民无不吹竽鼓瑟，弹琴击筑，斗鸡走狗，六博蹋鞠者”，可见犬已作玩赏与陪伴之用。古人甚至将犬升华为一种忠义精神，教育人们要学会“甘效犬马之劳”，忠于国家，忠于朋友，忠于家人。纪昀《阅微草堂笔记》赞曰：“余谓犬之为物，不烦驱策，而警夜不失职，宁忍寒饿，而恋主不他往，天下为僮仆者，实万万不能及。其足使人愧，正不在能语不能语耳。”
可以说，狗因可爱、忠诚、勇敢而著称，早已被国人视为一种吉利的动物，一种与人类同甘共苦的宠物。而且，狗还是一种能够预示前兆的动物，故古人常以狗吠的时辰来测吉凶：子时狗吠，则主夫之人，时争闹画；丑时狗吠，则主心中有，忧疑之事；寅时狗吠，则主失得财，帛大吉利；卯时狗吠，则主失雄心，得财利来；辰时狗吠，则主有财喜，大事通吉；巳时狗吠，则主亲人来，及有信至；午时狗吠，则主有酒食，宴会事吉；未时狗吠，则主妻外心，有破财喜；申时狗吠，则主家宅内，小口事凶；酉时狗吠，则主加官禄，有得财吉；戌时狗吠，则主有口舌，招灾事凶；亥时狗吠，则主有官司，词讼随后。
2018年，是中国农历戊戌年，即民间生肖纪年的狗年。在这狗年之际，让我们重新检阅一下汉英词典中与狗相关的种种说法，聊作一种新年之乐吧。
本文的语料主要选取自陆谷孙教授主编的《中华汉英大词典》，均为该词典的编纂者自以为迻译尚有特点的与狗有关的表达法，其目的在于与广大读者共享并敦请广大读者质疑与指谬。
一、“狗”字的界定
1. “犬”之意 = [Zool] dog, Canis familiaris; cur: 对～的恐惧症 a canine phobia | ～洞 a hole in a wall to let a dog in and out | ～豆子 a dog tick | ～肉 dog meat | ～鲨 a dogfish | ～虱 a dog tick | ～虱蝇 a dog fly | ～头钉 a dog spike | ～蝇梅 a dog-fly wintersweet | ～蚤 a dog flea
2. “十二生肖之一”之意 = dog [one of the twelve animals representing the twelve Earthly Branches, used to symbolize the year in which a person is born]: 他是属～的 he was born in the Year of the Dog
3. “表示极端鄙视”之意 = damned, cursed, evil (person, etc): ～日的 son of a bitch | 瞧这～官! look at this damned official!
4. “比喻坏人”之意 = bad guy; evildoer; unprincipled person: 噬贤之～ a villain who hurts talent out of jealousy
5. “走狗”之意 = lackey: 走～ a flunky or a running dog
6. “事之失度或人之失意”之意 = inappropriate or abnormal (of a thing); frustrated or dejected (of a person)
7. “星名”之意 = Gou [name of a star within the constellation Dipper]
二、与“狗”有关的两字表达
这方面的表达，多数为名词，有少量的动词或形容词。在这些名词当中，不少为专有名词，其中包括一些比喻词或詈词。具体请见以下例子：
1. 狗才 worthless person; incompetent person
2. 狗盗 thief
3. 狗癫 hydrophobia familiar for狂犬病
4. 狗肺 brutal and cold-blooded; beastly see 狼心狗肺
5. 狗獾 badger
6. 狗荠 [Chin Med] whitlow grass
7. 狗鹫 vulture familiar for 秃鹫
8. 狗马 (1) playthings [kept for the ruling class] (2) your humble and devoted servant [used by officials when addressing the emperor]
9. 狗命 (1) dog’s life (2) wretched existence
10. 狗屁 rubbish, nonsense (usu of writing): | ～不通 mere trash or rubbish | ～文章 a worthless piece of writing
11. 狗窃 to filch
12. 狗食 (1) dog food (2) useless things: ～盆子 a good-for-nothing
13. 狗屠 (1) dog butcher (2) person who does a mean and humble job
14. 狗窝 (1) kennel; doghouse (2) dirty or messy or untidy (room)
15. 狗熊 (1) [Zool] black bear; Selenarctos thibetanus (2) coward:谁英雄 , 谁～ , 咱比比！ who is a hero and who is a coward? let’s compare and see!
16. 狗癣 mange
17. 狗蝇 (1) dog fly; Hippobosca capensis (2) messy and dirty: ～胡子 a sparse beard
18. 狗子 (1) dog (2) reactionary soldiers, police, etc: 白～ white dogs [derogatory term for Kuomintang soldiers before 1949]
三、与“狗”有关的三字表达
这方面的表达，均为名词，不少是专有名词，其中包括一些口语词、比喻词、詈词等。具体请见以下例子：
1. 狗蹦子 (1) dog flea (2) mischievous person
2. 狗脖围 dog collar
3. 狗吃屎 dog eating dung; to fall flat on the face; to fall to the ground face down [usu a heavy fall]: 摔了个～ fall flat on the face
4. 狗大夫 quack doctor
5. 狗东西 (you) son of a bitch
6. 狗奶子 fruit of Chinese wolfberry
7. 狗男女 despicable men and women
8. 狗泥混 bum; loafer
9. 狗奴才 (you) son of a bitch; flunky
10. 狗爬式 dog-paddle [swimming style]
11. 狗脾气 bad disposition
12. 狗乳草 dandelion familiar for蒲公英
13. 狗屎堆 (1) pile of dogshit (2) disgusting person
14. 狗腿子 hired thug; lackey; henchman
15. 狗下水 (dog’s guts) bad heart; ill-natured: 你长着个人样子, 肚子里安的是～ though you look like a human, your nature is even worse than that of a beast
16. 狗咬狗 (dog-eat-dog ) strife or dogfight [usu among bad people]
17. 狗杂种 (you) son of a bitch
18. 狗仔队 paparazzi
19. 狗崽子 (you) son of a bitch
20. 狗爪子 hired thug; lackey; henchman
四、与“狗”有关的四字表达
这方面的表达，绝大部分为习语，只有少量的一般性表达，其中含有一些贬义性的词语。具体请见以下例子：
1. 狗胆包天 audacious and reckless; extremely audacious;beastly audacious
2. 狗盗鸡鸣 (1) having little tricks (2) slinkingly; covertly
3. 狗吠不惊 (not panic at dogs’ barking) stable and peaceful (of a society)
4. 狗吠之惊 also 狗吠之警 alarm at the barking of dogs; social unrest: 国中无～ the country remains peaceful and stable
5. 狗狗气气 (1) very stingy (2) furtive
6. 狗苟蝇营 to seek gains shamelessly
7. 狗急跳墙 (a dog at bay will jump over a wall) to take a desperate action in a critical situation: ～, 人急悬梁 (just as a cornered dog will leap over a wall, so a desperate person will hang himself from a roof beam) desperate people will resort to desperate measures
8. 狗马声色 (fine dog, fast horse, music, and women) extremely luxurious and Dolce Vita life (of the ruling class)
9. 狗皮膏药 (1) dogskin plaster (2) quack remedies; worthless goods
10. 狗头狗脑 (1) furtive; sneaky: 这家伙～, 来历不明 judging from that guy’s furtive manner, he might be a trouble (2) words used by the older generation to the younger ones to wish them health: 保佑你日后～的, 长命百岁 wish you health and many happy returns
11. 狗头军师 person who likes to give advice, but not very good advice; person who offers bad advice; inept advisor
12. 狗尾续貂 (a dog’s tail attached to a sable) a wretched sequel attached to a fine work; to complete a masterpiece with poor finishing (of literary works)
13. 狗血淋漓 crushing defeat; disastrous defeat
14. 狗血喷头 also 狗血淋头 a stream of abuse; a torrent of abuse
15. 狗占马槽 dog in the manger
16. 狗仗官势 (of bad person) to be a bully with the backing of a powerful official
17. 狗仗人势 (like a dog threatening people on the strength of its master’s power) to be a bully with the backing of a powerful person; to take advantage of one’s or sb else’s power to bully people
18. 狗彘不如 also狗彘不若 no better than a cur or swine [descriptive of a contemptible person]
五、与狗有关的五字或以上的表达
这方面的表达，绝大部分为习语或俗语，仅有极少的一般性表达。具体请见以下例子：
1. 狗不吃屎，人不偏心 when dogs no longer eat excrement,people will no longer practice favoritism
2. 狗不上前用食喂，马不上套驾鞭打 (if a dog won’t advance toward you, feed it with food; if a horse won’t get into harness, beat it with a whip) different people or situations should be treated with different tactics
3. 狗不嫌家贫 dogs do not shun a poor home
4. 狗不咬拜年的，官不打送钱的 just as dogs don’t bite people paying New Year’s calls, government officials don’t beat people who send them gifts of money
5. 狗朝屁走，人朝势走 just as dogs follow the smell of flatulence,people follow the powerful
6. 狗吃屎，狼吃人 (dogs eat excrement; wolves eat people) a leopard cannot change its spots
7. 狗颠屁股儿 (1) dog tagging along (2) to be obsequious
8. 狗都有翘尾巴的时候 (every dog has his time to stick up his tail) every dog will have his day
9. 狗肚里藏不住热脂油 (no fatty oil can be kept in a dog’s belly) a shallow person can keep nothing secret
10. 狗多不怕狼，人多不怕虎 (when dogs are many, they dread no wolves; when people are many, they dread no tigers) there is strength in numbers
11. 狗改不了吃屎 you can’t make a crab walk straight; a leopard never changes its spot; it’s hard to change sb’s bad disposition
12. 狗拿耗子, 多管闲事 (like a dog trying to catch mice) to poke one’s nose into other people’s business; to be a busybody; to be too meddlesome
13. 狗能戴帽子 (a dog can wear a hat) beast in human form
14. 狗肉滚三滚，神仙站不稳 (after dog meat has been boiled three times, even gods cannot resist it) no one can resist the temptation of delicacies
15. 狗肉上不得台盘，稀泥巴糊不上壁 (just as dog meat cannot be served to guests, so watery mud cannot be used to plaster walls) some people are worthless or hapless beyond helping
16. 狗瘦，主人羞 (if a dog is thin, its master feels ashamed) a leader feels ashamed when his subordinates misbehave
17. 狗头上插不得金花 (no golden flowers can be placed on a dog’s head) some people, things or situations are just hopelessly bad
18. 狗头上搁不住肉骨头 (no meaty bones can be kept on a dog’s head for long) certain people or situations are just hopeless
19. 狗头上长角 (a horn growing on a dog’s head) utter impossibility
20. 狗为百步王，只是门前狼 (a dog is a king within a radius of one hundred paces, but he is only a wolf before his master’s door) every cock crows on his own dunghill
21. 狗窝里养不出金钱豹 (no spotted leopard can be born in a doghouse) a low environment produces no people of high ability
22. 狗眼看人低 to be snobbish
23. 狗咬穿烂的，人舔穿好的 dogs bite the raggedly dressed,while people flatter the well dressed
24. 狗咬吕洞宾 (a dog snapping at Lǚ Dongbin [the first of the eight immortals]) not to recognize a good person or his good intention; to bite the hand that feeds one
25. 狗咬人有药医，人咬人没药治 (there are medicines which can cure a person bitten by a dog, but no medicine exists that can cure one person bitten by another) those who are falsely accused in a legal action are hard put to defend themselves
26. 狗也有三升糠分 (even a dog has its share of three bushels of rice husks) everyone should have a share of the food available
27. 狗猪不食其余 (a person so despised and contemptible that even a pig or a dog won’t eat the food left by him or her) base; mean; despicable;contemptible; disgusting
28. 狗走千里吃屎，狼走千里吃人 (just as a dog travelling a thousand li will still eat excrement, a wolf travelling a thousand li will still eat people) a leopard cannot change its spots
29. 狗嘴吐不出象牙also狗嘴里长不出象牙 (no ivory will come out of a dog’s mouth) no decent words come from the mouth of a bad person;filthy mouth can’t utter decent language; what can you expect from a dog but a bark
30. 救了落水狗，回头咬一口 (if you save a drowning dog, it will bite you later) if you help bad people, you’ll be harmed by them some day
的确，汉语中与“狗”有关的表达实在太丰富了，诸如“狗宝”“狗窦”“狗鱼”“狗刨儿”“狗盗鼠窃”“狗走狐淫”“狗咬狗，两嘴毛”等词语的英文翻译，更待我们共同探索。 □
南京大学博士，哈佛大学访问学者，现为上海大学教授、英语系主任，主要从事英语语块学、ESL写作以及词典编纂研究。
